The return of Thunderstrike
by Thunderman88
Summary: The title says all, there's and old thunder guy in town! But for Eric Masterson things aren't going to go well. Is he going to make it like a hero, or will he surrender to the tasks that await him as a loser? Read!
1. Chapter 1

Ok, I must say I've always loved Thunderstrike, and I've never accepted his death. Given that Marvel is not going to resuscitate him in the immediate future, I'm going to do it!

I do not own Thunderstrike or any other character that appear in my story. Marvel does.

**THE RETURN OF THUNDERSTRIKE**

Chapter 1 : An unexpected comeback

That evening, the New Avengers were oddly more relaxed than usual. Everyone was relaxed and at peace, and even Spider-Man complained that no one was telling him off for his jokes anymore. That one was welcomed with a laugh.

"What's going on, guys? We're all in hyperdrive here! What's going on?" wondered Ronin. Mockingbird rolled her eyes. "Why have you to spil everything? For a moment we're not fighting criminals or Osborn, we're not screaming at each other and even Mr. Straightface here" and she pointed to Cage, "is smiling, why aren't you just relaxing?" "Uhm, veteran Avenger-sense?" retorted Clint. Bucky suggested more seriously : "Maybe it's just the calm before the storm; maybe something is gonna happen!" Spider-Man at this started speaking frantically : "Dontsayitdontsaytdontsayit!! 'Cause every time we say it, something does happen!"

And it did : a knock at the door. The heroes went in no time in red alert-mode : they put on their masks and got up from the chairs and took a readying position. "Allright, what is up this time? HYDRA, Doctor Doom, Loki...?" said sarcastically Spider-Woman. As the leader, Ronin took a step forward. "Who's there?!" he thundered. A voice came from behind the door : "Hey, lower your guns, guys! I'm a friend!" Carefully, Bucky, balancing his shield on his left arm, stepped forwars, and suddenly opened the door. A guy fell to the floor; and Spider-Man was quick to block him with his webs. It was a normal guy, blond, around thirty-year old, with a cane. Miss Marvel lowered her head to speak to him, and Jessica Jones (guarding her child until then), snickered seeing the effect of this move on the man. "Would you tell me who are you and why are you here? And also if any friend of yours is outta here waiting?" demanded the blonde heroine. The accused gulped audibly (and this time everyone but Carol snickered, because they knew she was scary and hot at the same time) and answered : "I... er... my name's Masterson. I'm all alone, and I'm here because Strange told me I could find you here!" The Avengers were amazed at once. "Uhm, excuse me, pal, but why do you think we're gonna take your version for good? I don't see Houdini giving our adress to someone like you!" objected Parker. Ronin was even more amazed. "Wait a minute... Masterson, Masterson... the name's not new to me!" "Ooh-boy, at least someone with a bit of memory here! Of course you know my name, Hawkeye, or whatthedevilareyoucallingyourselfnow; we were both Avengers!" grumbled the guy. "An Avenger? Try a better one, mister!" replied sternly Cage. "I can demonstrate it, if you free me from this dumb spider-web!" said Masterson, trying fruitlessly to free himself. "Ouch! You're hurting my feelings!" joked Parker, but Carol merely shrugged and with some low-intensity blasts managed to free the man without killing him. Besides, he was alone, at their mercy, and something in him was telling them he was sincere. He rose on his feet, and took some steps away from them. "Ok, ladies and gentleman, prepare yourselves for an unique spectacle... homage from Eternal Asgard Inc.!!" He was still saying the last line when he struck the floor with his cane. What followed, was something like a thunderbolt hitting the house. Everyone istinctively closed eyes, but when they reopened them, they were dumbstruck.

The mere human was gone; at his place, there was a tall and broad bearded guy, with a suit similar to that of Thor, and with a mace in his left hand.

Barton was the first to regain some breath. "You're... Thunderstrike!"


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the delay, and enjoy!

By the way, in the time that passed, Marvel launched another Thunderstrike mini-series, with Thunderstrike's son being his successor. Catchy idea, but that's nothing to do with mine.

And I repeat Thunderstrike and the others are not mine, but Marvel's.

Chapter 2 : Some Explanations

Spider-Man was aghast. "Pony-tailed turkey?" Thunderstrike looked at him amazed. "You remember the time we went against that crazed lady at the Health Club? I'm flattered, from what you said I wasn't expecting you to remember poor little Mr. Strategy!" "Are you angry? You looked and acted like a total knock-off, you know!" Barnes coughed. "Excuse me, but since I don't have any pleasant memories of this guy, someone could explain who the hell he is?" Ronin scratched his head. "It's... complicated, Cap. But I can give you a quick recap : Masterson here met Thor and, after some eager young space-cadet adventures, became his mortal identity first, and then he became the new Thor when the old one was exiled. He even took his place in the Avengers with... remarkable results!" Masterson scoffed. "Anyway, when Thor came back, he was given by Odin his own enchanted hammer..." "It's a mace, you know!" Thunderstrike pointed. "My bad. His own enchanted mace, and so he took the new identity of Thunderstrike. But he was possessed by an enchanted Asgardian ax, a cursed ax to be exact, and he died to avoid destroying the world, blah-blah-blah. So, you can guess now why I'm so surprised to see him here!"

At that time, from the still open door poked a certain red-headed Russian spy, who exclaimed : "Hey, guys, what the heck is the door open fo..." She lost track of her phrase as Thunderstrike turned around and recognized her with a smile. "Hi, Widow!" "I... 'Strike? Is that you?" "Yeah, it's me! The patsiest Avenger ever is back!" "_Bozhe moi_!" she cried as she rushed and hugged him. After some seconds, she asked : "This is awesome. But how...?" The tall superhero sighed. "Long story. I think it's better if you sit down!"

Everyone went back to their seats, with Thunderstrike grabbing two spare for himself and the Black Widow. He sat down, and began : "Well, as Haw... sorry, Ronin here said, I died because I decided to destroy Seth, the Egyptian God of Evil, using the power of the Bloodaxe, a cursed Asgardian weapon, and as it transformed me into a destroyer-of-worlds wannabe, I managed to regain conscience again to use the power of my mace to destroy the ax's power, and myself in the process. After that, I was offered by Thor a place in Valhalla, but since I've never been easy with the whole God-thing, I passed the offer, and went forwards to the afterlife."

He stopped, and shrugged, a confused expression dawning on his face. "Then... well, I don't quite got what the heck happened to me, but it seemed to me that right after I passed away or whatever, I was standing in an alley, safe and sound, in my civilian identity, but with my mace in cane form. That was more or less a month ago. It took me very little to realize that years had passed by, so I tried to go to Asgard after a good form-shifting. But instead, I wounded up in Oklahoma, a place called Broxton..." "That's where Asgard is now, after Thor returned." Ronin intervened. "Exactly. I decided a meeting with Thor would not be such a bad idea, maybe he could explained why I was back, but Heimdall, the sentinel guy, told me that Thor had just passed out for using his power to make all the Asgardians come back from Ragnarok, or something like this. I understood at once that casually that show Thor made caused me to return to life, too. Since I had a story with Loki and... others on Asgard, I asked Heimdall to not tell anyone of my return, and returned to NY. Here, I got wind of what happened. The Avengers disbanded, there was that Civil War thing, Captain America, I mean the one who was always chewing my ass, was killed, and then the Skrull invaded Earth. I was pretty confused, so after some days of utter confusion I went to Doctor Strange, an old friend of mine. He made sure that I was who I thought I was, and then he told me I'd better go and tell you guys of everything. And so here I am!"

Silence followed these words. "Well then, whoo-hoo, welcome back, thunder guy!" Spider-Man exclaimed at last. "Of course! I'm glad for you to be back!" Natasha added, giving him an affectionate squeeze. Eric smiled, then he looked at Captain America. "If you want someone to second-guess at every step he takes and to mess up everything he does, I've got lot of experience!" Barnes snickered, then he extended his hand saying : "I know how much Cap could be hard on anyone, and I'd rather not follow his example in this." "Well, way to go, Thunderstrike! But there's something I'd like to ask : would you like to join us?"

Everyone's attention went to 'Strike, who looked surprised. He rubbed his chin, then in a thoughtful manner, he slowly answered : "I'm honored, but... I think I'd better say no, for the moment. I'm still catching up with everything that happened, and right now, I want to realize if I can return to my old life... or if I have to start a new one. But thanks for the offer; and, of course, if you need me, I'd come running!" "That's enough. And I understand how you feel : so, go get a life, man!"

After an improvised welcome back party, and after lots of memories and laughter, at last Thunderstrike left the Avengers hideout. He was smiling, but he felt his place was not with them, not yet. _They're good persons, but right now, I have to sort out what to do, now that I've got a second chance!_ He thought.

He looked at the starless sky, and sighed. _I wonder if I can make it. I used to mess up everything I did, both as a civilian and as a superhero, and I had some background. Now I have to start from scratch. _He mused to himself, as he whirled around his mace, and surged upwards.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 : A great comeback?**

Eric had always loved walking; it was walking that he was able to clearly think about everything without his work or some supervillain or something else forcing him to focus. And now he desperately felt the need to think.

The rhythm of his thoughts echoed the pace of his cane, from a long time a part of him as much as his legs were. But now, he was in a position he'd never been in before. Because before his death, he had a life on which base everything else.

He didn't have it anymore; he was still legally dead. And he knew his ex-wife and his son would absolutely freak out if they were to see him walking around like nothing happened.

"Hoo-boy, what the hell I'm supposed to do, now?" he sighed, rubbing his forehead. He answered himself at once. "Well, since I can't go back and simply get my life back, the obvious choice would be returning to the hero biz. Problem is, with this Osborn guy being the supreme cop around here, I don't know what'll happen the moment I step in to stop a bad guy!"

Tap. Tap. Tap. "I can tell this is quite a low ebb, since I wish Cap were back... so he could resume his bitching on me!" Eric chuckled briefly, but he was absolutely sincere. Hard as he was to him, Cap always knew what to do. Even when he'd disobeyed him, like when he sided with the others to take revenge upon the Supreme Intelligence.

Then, he quipped mentally, maybe he should go to check on Thor; it had been some months now, but he never went and asked to talk to him. Why? "Maybe I'm afraid... afraid that the moment I'm stepping on Asgard, Loki or Mephisto or Mr. Makeupyournamehere will either use me as a pawn to gain power, or attack me with some Asgardian monster, or who knows what!" He'd always paid attention to separate himself from Thor, to avoid confusion and to throw away all of the god-business he had hated so much. But the Big Guy was his best friend; they had been closer than brothers. It wasn't right to keep him in the dark just because he was afraid to jump into the mess again.

CRASH!

He jumped a little bit, looking up with a confused expression. He hadn't really paid attention to where his legs were leading him, so it took a few moments to get his bearings straight. The result made him moan privately : he was somewhere in Soho, and he was one of the witnesses of a supervillainy robbery. The bad guy who was happily busting a bank was none other but his old acquaintance, the Absorbing Man, in cement form. They had developed a quite odd relationship back in the day, because it went the same way all the time : Creel would ask for his help, he would reluctantly do just that, something would run amok, and they would end up fighting like hell.

Eric conceded himself only a "Hoo-boy!" while running into a narrow alley; there, he gritted his teeth and stomped his cane on the ground. The loud lightning came as usual, transforming him into an insecure yet determined superhero. After all, he sure had some valuable experience against that particular enemy; so, he wasn't brooding as usual when he surged forwards, shouting : "Freeze, Creel! You're most definitely not going to get that money!"

The bald supervillain quickly turned around, his ball and chain ready; his expression quickly turned to disbelief, and then into a lopsided grin. "Well, well, guess who's the last spandex-guy who went back from the dead... good ol' Sparky!" Eric returned the grin. "Nice to see ya again too, Creel; now hands in the air, and you'll save yourself a lot o' pain!" He merely laughed. "Nice one, ol' pal; mebbe you shoul' try writing punch lines instead of swooshin' in the air with tha' mace of yours!" "Maybe; but for the moment, I'll stick with the hero biz, and I'll repeat to you... you're going in!"

"Then, Sparky... remember ya asked for it!" And the ball went whizzing through the air, striking Thunderstrike's face dead center. The hero rolled a few times, then he rose to his knees, holding his head. "Uh! I see time didn't improve your mood swings, Creel?" A chain around his neck cut his breath and reduced him to silence. "And I'm seein' death didn't cure ya of your blasted habit of pickin' up fights you can't win!"

But Eric hadn't been called a fool for so long without at least trying to improve his fighting style; and, luckily for him, the Absorbing Man didn't even expect from him a trick so simple such as suddenly bending over with all his strength. So, he was forced to meet the brick wall of the building in front of them a little too much roughly for his liking. Standing up enraged, in a new shining brick form, and returning back was a moment's work.

"Where the hell are ya?" he shouted. An innocent voice said from his right : "Say cheese, Creel!"He turned around... in time to see a devilishly grinning Thunderstrike removing the covering of an hydrant. The water overcame him, and before the villain could think of anything other than some foul language, he felt the alarming sensation of losing cohesion. He was able to scream a last defying : "Nooooo! Damn you, Sparky!" before even his mind lost cohesion.

"Well, that was short work!" Eric commented in a low voice, turning around to survey the damage after being sure Creel wasn't a problem for the time being. It was better than he thought : the bank would require some extraordinary repairs, and so the nearby buildings, but he had seen and done much worse. Some people who had assisted to the confrontation went closer, and some wit even began some timid applause. A cop was looking at him stunned.

He went over to him and told matter-of-factly : "Well, agent, I think everything's under control, now. You should have no more problems." The poor man managed to say : "Oh.. Uhm... Yeah, sure... ehm, could you... Who are you, exactly? Are you Thor? 'Cause you're not sounding like him the last time we met!" Eric sighed; he had most definitely seen that coming. "No such luck; I'm Thunderstrike, but I can understand your confusion. Thor and I used to be pretty close." "Wait... are you the Thunderstrike guy Captain Stone and his boys of Code:Blue keep talking about?" A surprised smile appeared on the bearded hero's face. "Hey, nice to see someone remembers me! Yep, that's me... and now, if you excuse me, I'm running late!" He swirled his mace and cannonballed towards the sky in the usual manner, but he was not lucky enough to avoid Kat Farrell's attention and camera. "Well, this time Jonah will eat his heart out!" she commented, grinning in anticipation.

"Thank you again, Dr. Blake! That coughing was getting worse and worse, and we were getting worried..." "Really, don't mention it! It was nothing, but it could have evolved into something, so just be glad it ended well, Mrs. Geary! And you, boy, just try not to exhaust yourself in the next few days, alright?" The little boy nodded solemnly. "I won't, Doctor. Oh, and by the way, have you heard the news? More Asgardian popping up!"

Donald Blake froze, his hand hanging in the air in the act of dropping his stethoscope. "No... no, I've not heard about it." "Well, it seems that in NY, an ol' Thor enemy, the Absorbing Man, was robbing a bank, but was stopped by someone that... well, it wasn't Thor, so it must have been some wayward second cousin or somethin'... he even had his own hammer!" Blake looked at him, and his expression was quite ambiguous. "Oh... great... um, isn't that your dad who's honking? See you!"

As soon as they were gone, Blake's face went expressionless. "It must be him!" he said to himself. That 'himself' answered : "Perhaps, but I doth not think that wouldst be possible." "What other options there are? If it's not Dargo back from the future, and I doubt it's Bill 'cause the little guy here didn't mention a horse head, then we're down to an option." "Then, I am most grateful... for I findeth impossible to think of a man more worthy of being given a second chance than Eric... if that wouldst be him!" Blake rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid we're going to find out soon, big guy! Such things never lay dormant, they just keep blowing in your face?"

"Bobby Steele, if you don't get out of that bathroom and come down to get breakfast in ten seconds, your fate will be the most gruesome that a man can face!" The retired footballer sighed; when Marcy's voice was so sharp, he knew he would get no slack. So, he obediently opened the door, to face his annoyed wife. His sheepish smile didn't make her expression any softer. "Would you please tell me why you have to sit there for half an hour all the mornings?" Her eyes had such a fire in them that he gulped, before answering nervously : "Just an old habit, lady. You see, my mom always said to me that this was the most useful thing I could do when beginning a new day, and I believed her a little too much well!" For a second, he feared a fiasco; then Marcy's lips began to tremble, and at least she let out a suffocated laughter. "That's it, you walk out of your mother's shadow, or no more French toast for you!" Relieved, he growled back playfully : "As if Kevin doesn't leave quite a desert of the pile every single time!"

As if his words had summoned a spirit, from the kitchen came a loud CRASH. Shocked, they ran downstairs, to find the gleaming shatters of the bottle quickly losing the white color, as the milk ran freely on the floor. But Kevin didn't seem to care; in fact, he seemed absolutely frozen, his hand still in mid-air, his eyes transfixed on the TV. The followed his gaze, and their hearts skipped some beats at the same time.

"And so, it's confirmed that the superhero that single-handedly stopped the infamous Absorbing Man from robbing a bank in New York City, was none other than Thunderstrike, a hero declared killed in action by the Avengers years ago. So far there are no comments from Norman Osborn or..." But for all they cared, the reporter could have saved his breath; because the picture they were showing was the most definite proof that Eric Masterson was somehow back; because they were remembering all too well when Captain America himself had told them that Masterson was in reality Thunderstrike, and he had been killed by a villain named Bloodaxe.

Bobby Steele, a notorious two-timing slowcoach, was surprisingly the first one to retrieve he ability to speak. "Oh, snap!" he muttered.

The face that was looking at the same picture was far from pleased. His hands were laced together on his chin, and his eyes had quite a nasty light in them.

A hand reached down and pressed a button. "You called, sir?" a female voice came. "Ms. Hand," said Norman Osborn, the Iron Patriot, "make a research, and tell me everything you can find about Thunderstrike!"

* * *

You know, I didn't think about it, but this could very much be the way the Absorbing Man fell in the hands of Osborn; but I doubt Marvel would approve! Sigh!

Please review, anyway!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 : Echoes of the Past**

"Aye, I know of the mortal you name Thunderstrike!" Ares said while looking at the picture caught on camera. Osborn motioned him to go on. "I met him, once, when I, together with my mother Hera, made an attempt on my half-brother's life; I possessed him, and tried to use his power to smite the Prince of Power." The Iron Patriot didn't comment on the sour tone of the word 'tried', and briskly asked : "What can you say about him? Abilities, weaknesses,..." The God of War folded his arms and said : "Back then, he possessed the power of the Thunder God, even if he didn't inherit his experience; this weakness should have shrank somewhat since then. However, by the accounts you provided me, it seems that when he relinquished the mystic mallet to Thor, to receive his own enchanted weapon, the same didn't grant him the same power levels as before. He is powerful, no doubt on that, but he is not as dangerous as he could be!" The thoughtful tone made Osborn mildly curious. "What do you mean, as dangerous as he could be?" Ares looked at him, and discomfort was painted on his hard features. "He was unable to keep a true Olympian from his mind, that's true; yet, when I took control of him, he didn't stop to try and fight back. That is why I was unable to kill once for all Hercules. And I shall tell you this, Osborn," he lunged on the chair, "if you want to challenge him, be aware; he may have been portrayed by a inept fool, but his resolve and determination have few equals on Earth!" The Director of H.A.M.M.E.R. intertwined his fingers and smirked. "This is becoming more and more interesting!"

"Man, this is what I meant by saying I would miss the flying!" Eric's face uncharacteristically showed pure excitement and relaxation as he sped, propelled by his mace, some 10,000 foot over the Rocky Mountains. He sighed. "I know I didn't have the time by then, but I should've done this much before; nothing like a good flight to relax and forget my troubles!"

But as he finished uttering the last syllable, the grin disappeared, as a foreign yet familiar feeling got his attention. "Damn. Should've kept my mouth shut!" he cursed. He knew that Thunderstrike was detecting some Asgardian magic somewhere under him, and he knew, too, he couldn't just keep flying and try to forget.

"Someone up there must've drawn me as the comic foil!" was Eric's comment as he let the mace follow the trail and, as usual, the weapon abruptly changed direction and cannonballed him towards a mesa. As he approached, he began to discern two figures; and as he recognized them, he was flabbergasted.

And aghast from terror. Apart from one figure being that of the Enchantress (and he hadn't forgotten the time she had performed an Asgardian mind trick on him, causing him to have a wrestling match with Thor), and the other one being the Executioner, it was what Skurge had in his hands that scared the hell out of him. The Bloodaxe. The same weapon whose power he had been forced to call upon when he had decided that Seth was too much of a danger to live. And whose power had possessed him, ultimately causing his death.

He was still in shock as e came down, catching their attention. Amora was panting heavily, and it was crystal clear she was the prey in that game, a game she was looking judging by her anguished look. Skurge was as calm as someone dead set on killing someone who had used him for years could be; his expression showed surprise as he recognized Thunderstrike. "Mortal... thou live, then, too! This be good news indeed, since thou wilt not refuse my request to grant thy help in giving this scheming wench the death she deserveth!"

Eric took a deep breath to calm himself, then made a few steps to position himself between the two Asgardians. "I'm afraid I will, instead. As much as she brought me trouble, and of the same type as yours, I might add, I won't let you kill her!" Amora's eyes went big as she stared speechless at his back. Skurge went mad with rage. "HOW CAN YOU? She toyed with my feelings... she used my power and my ax to do her bidding... she made me dishonour my name and my upbringing... she truly does deserve to die!" Eric shook his head slowly. "I sympathize, big guy; still, no one deserves this. The answer's still no." The ax trembled; then, it was suddenly raised.

"Then, thou shalt fall with her!" Such was Skurge's speed that Eric barely had enough time to block his blow with the handle of Thunderstrike. But his foe's strength was nearly as great as Thor's, and Eric felt his muscles scream in protest, slowly yielding to the Executioner's fury. Suddenly, the hero leaped back, and the surprised Skurge, not even expecting such a paltry trick, fell forwards; Thunderstrike took advantage of that, and with all his might he hit with his mace the back of his neck.

It was like wounding a beast; Skurge's reaction, together with his scream of pure hatred, surprised him, and he went flying, painfully hitting the rock wall with such violence that the gneiss that formed it shattered in a zillion pieces. After a few seconds of total confusion, Eric regained enough lucidity to see his opponent charging at him like a maddened bull; without thinking, he reacted by throwing his mace at him with all the strength he could muster. Although Thunderstrike couldn't match Mjolnir, the A-class hit was so spectacular that even Skurge staggered a bit.

Trying to keep his enemy off guard, Eric didn't waste any time after his mace returned, and struck with it the ground; the shockwave did the trick and Skurge fell again. This time however he stood up in a matter of seconds, and he was upon Eric at once, who stood valiantly to meet his blows.

Some minutes passed, and they kept trading blows, each unable to deal the finishing blow to the other. Then, Eric lost his footing once; his adversary had too much experience to not take advantage of that, and his demonic weapon fell like a collapsing skyscraper. For the second time, Thunderstrike made intimate knowledge of the stone wall, but this time, he struggled to get back on his feet.

_I knew it would end this way_ , he thought grimly. _He's not holding back like Bloodaxe, and is far more experienced!_ Skurge stood back, bouncing the axe in his hands. "Thou should see the light by now, mortal. No matter how valiantly you fight, thy power can't match mine, nor can thy experience!" Eric laughed briefly, finally finding the strength to get up. "Like I didn't know. I may be idealistic, man, but I see things quite clearly. I knew I couldn't match you!" "Then why didn't you yield? I have no desire to smite thee!"

The answer came as Thunderstrike walked again between Skurge and the Enchantress, until then a frightened spectator. "Because sometimes you can't have the luxury of fighting battles you can win; sometimes you have to fight a match you know you'll lose. I'm aware that I can't compete with your strength and your ability, but I'm not going to stand there and watch you murder her! If you want her... you'll have to go through me!"

The Executioner looked at him quite annoyed; then he walked up to him until his face was inches from Eric's, and his ax right behind him, ready for the kill. "I'll counsel you again, mortal." His voice was charged with danger and power. "Stand... Back!" Eric didn't even flinch; he kept challenging the huge warrior with his clear eyes. Not even the wind dared break the silence first.

Without notice, Skurge grunted and lowered his ax. "So be it!" He shouted. "We fought together, and as much as I desire to see Amora's blood splattered over these rocks, I don't want to spill thine to have hers. In name of our battle as allies, I shalt drop my ire, and leave now." He turned around, and began walking away. He stopped for a moment, and added with dangerous determination : "But make no mistake, mortal. Whatever leniency thou might have found in my heart, was spent today. Don't be assured I shalt be at your side in our next encounter!"

As soon as the massive warrior disappeared between the ridges, Eric let out the biggest sigh of relief of his life. "Hoo-boy! For a moment I thought he was going to give me the biggest haircut of my life! Be blessed the Asgardians and all their 'honour' stuff!" Savoring the respite, he turned around, to see Amora still standing there, looking at him with a dumbfounded expression. Suddenly aware of her presence, he scratched his head, slightly embarrassed. "Er, no need to thank me or something. Don't mention it!" She kept staring at him; and then she spoke slowly. "I am... confused by your actions, mortal. Thou remembered that my actions caused you no little problems, yet you stood at my defense!" Eric shrugged, and commented : "Well, sometimes my actions confuse me, too. But it's quite simple, really : if I can avoid it, no one is going to die on my watch. No one deserves to die!" Her expression now showed something he had never seen before on her face (not that they had been bunk mates or anything) : gratitude. "I owe thee my life." Thunderstrike was quick to wave a hand in dismissal. "Please don't. I never cared much for things like these, and I'm not gonna begin now. If you want to show me your appreciation, please take some time off before starting charming guys here and there to do what you want, ok?" She slightly blushed, and a rogue thought in Eric's mind told him she was even more pretty when she did (he quickly shoved that thought out of the way). "That might be difficult. In the Golden Realm, twas' the only way to rise above the mass, and reach above the mere needs of daily survival."

As she was speaking, a bizarre thought floated around in his head; he knew it would probably mean more trouble, yet he couldn't help but follow that idea. "Well, er, if you need, y'know, someone to give you a few pointers... to find another way... well, I think I might be able to give at least... one half of those." The surprised look came back; after all, a mortal offering to give some ethics advice to a demigoddess didn't happen often.

Thunderstrike tensed, preparing for the haughty and shocked refusal, how dare he, a mere mortal, she was much bigger than anything he could hope to become in a million years, stuff like that. But it didn't come. All that came was a hesitant : "I... would not be adverse!"

Eric looked at her in utter shock. "Really?" He let his eyes and mind wander, completely unable to confront the reality. "Man, this is really crazy! At this pace, tomorrow I'll sweep the floor with the Dork Avengers!"

"Sir, you didn't answer my question!" "Hm?" Victoria Hand's voice was very hesitant. "Um... why are you dead set on ambushing this... Thunderstrike? Why him?" Osborn looked out of the window, in deep thought. "There's nothing particular against him. I just want to make him an example to the others; we get him, we show we can take even someone with powers similar to Thor's, and in the meantime we don't get toe to toe with someone really troublesome. It's just a perfect candidate!" He nodded, very much sure of what he'd just declared.

* * *

Well, waddaya say?

Next chapter : the big match, Thunderstrike vs the Dork... er, Dark Avengers!

And watch out for Enchantress, she might surprise us...


End file.
